Read the following article from a website.
Ottawa is considering new rules for cargo ships that cross Canada’s Arctic waters, and the people who live along the route want a say. As summer sea ice shrinks, ships can now sail between the northern islands for several weeks a year without an icebreaker. Last summer, fourteen cargo ships passed Sedge Harbour, a small community of about 900 people on the Arctic coast, compared with three a decade ago. The federal transport department is collecting comments until January 15 on a draft that would require every ship to report its position and carry spill equipment.
Mayor Joanna Ballantyne says the danger her community feels is practical, not political. “Ships near the edge of the sea ice in hunting season frighten off the seals and whales that families depend on,” Ballantyne said. “One fuel spill could ruin our coastline for a generation. We are asking for speed limits near our hunting grounds and paid local monitors who watch the traffic.” She notes that the nearest spill response equipment is stored more than a thousand kilometres away.
Professor Emil Bauer, who teaches maritime law in Halifax, supports reporting rules for another reason. “Each foreign ship that reports to Canadian authorities and follows Canadian rules strengthens our position that these waters are ours to manage,” Bauer said. “Rules that ships actually obey are worth more than any speech.” Agnete Bruun, who represents a European shipping line, says her company welcomes safety standards but fears a mix of different rules. “If Canada writes rules found nowhere else, captains will simply return to the southern routes,” she warned. “Use an international safety code as the base, and most companies will follow it gladly,” Bruun added.
Esko Ahlqvist, a retired coast guard captain, doubts that rules on paper will mean much on their own. “A rule nobody can enforce is just a suggestion,” Ahlqvist said. “Right now we have two patrol ships for thousands of kilometres of coastline. If a tanker hits the rocks in October, help could be a week away.” Ballantyne agrees. “Rules are a start,” she said, “but we need people and boats up here.”
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
Paragraph four mainly presents 2..
Agnete Bruun warns that rules found only in Canada would lead to 3..
Emil Bauer’s argument would likely be supported by 4..
The reporter presents the issue as 5..
The following is a comment by a visitor to the website page. Complete the comment by choosing the best option to fill in each blank.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: proposed rules for ships in Canada’s Arctic waters
Why this is correct: Ottawa is considering new rules for cargo ships in Arctic waters. Every speaker reacts to those rules.
Passage Reference: Ottawa is considering new rules for cargo ships that cross Canada’s Arctic waters
Tips: Check each option against the whole article, not against one speaker. Drop any option that only one person in the article talks about.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan to build a port in a northern community: Sedge Harbour is where ships pass. Nobody plans to build a port there.
- a ban on hunting near busy sea lanes: Ballantyne wants to protect hunting, not ban it.
- a contest between two shipping companies: Only one shipping line is mentioned, and it is not competing with anyone.
Correct Answer: doubts that rules can work without enforcement
Passage Reference: doubts that rules on paper will mean much on their own ... A rule nobody can enforce is just a suggestion
Why this is correct: In paragraph four, a retired captain says a rule nobody can enforce is just a suggestion. Ballantyne then agrees that rules are only a start.
Tips: Go back to “Paragraph four” and say what it does in a few words. Pick the choice that matches, not a sentence from elsewhere.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the details of the draft federal rules: The draft and its reporting rule are described in paragraph one, not paragraph four.
- the danger ships pose to local hunting: Seals, whales and hunting come up when Ballantyne speaks in paragraph two.
- a shipping company’s view of the rules: Bruun speaks for a shipping line in paragraph three. She does not appear in paragraph four.
Correct Answer: captains going back to the southern routes
Passage Reference: If Canada writes rules found nowhere else, captains will simply return to the southern routes
Why this is correct: Bruun says that if Canada writes rules found nowhere else, captains will simply return to the southern routes.
Tips: Read Bruun’s quotes in full. Choose the result she predicts, not a problem raised by someone else.
Why the other options are wrong:
- higher prices for goods in the north: Bruun says nothing about the price of goods in northern communities.
- more ships sailing without reporting: Bruun does not say ships would break the rules. She says they would avoid these waters.
- shipping lines asking for special exemptions: Bruun never talks about exemptions. She asks for a shared base that companies already follow.
Correct Answer: records showing foreign ships obeyed Canadian rules
Passage Reference: Each foreign ship that reports to Canadian authorities and follows Canadian rules strengthens our position that these waters are ours to manage ... Rules that ships actually obey are worth more than any speech.
Why this is correct: Bauer says each foreign ship that follows Canadian rules strengthens Canada’s position. Proof that ships really obeyed the rules would back up his case.
Tips: Read Bauer’s quoted sentences closely. Ask of each option whether it would make his words more convincing, and set aside facts that fit another speaker.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a plan to station more patrol ships up north: More patrol ships would help Ahlqvist’s point about enforcement. Bauer talks about ships obeying rules, not patrols.
- a study of how ships disturb seals and whales: Harm to seals and whales is Ballantyne’s worry. It says nothing about who manages the waters.
- a study of fuel costs on the northern route: Nobody in the article talks about fuel costs. Such a study would say nothing about who manages the waters.
Correct Answer: a choice in which local people want a voice
Passage Reference: Ottawa is considering new rules for cargo ships that cross Canada’s Arctic waters, and the people who live along the route want a say
Why this is correct: Outside the quotes, the reporter says Ottawa is considering rules and the people along the route want a say. Comments are still being collected.
Tips: Look only at the words outside the quotation marks. Ask how the writer describes the situation, and check that your answer matches those words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a danger Ottawa has ignored for years: The reporter says Ottawa is considering rules and collecting comments. Nothing says Ottawa ignored the issue.
- a fight the shipping lines have already won: No decision has been made yet. Comments are open, so nobody has won anything.
- a problem that new technology has solved: The reporter does not describe any new technology. Ships still need rules and spill equipment.
Correct Answer: fourteen
Passage Reference: Last summer, fourteen cargo ships passed Sedge Harbour
Why this is correct: Last summer, fourteen cargo ships passed Sedge Harbour.
Tips: This blank asks how many vessels passed recently. Do not confuse it with the number from ten years ago.
Why the other options are wrong:
- three: Three is the number of ships a decade ago, not last summer.
- four: This number is not in the article.
- forty: This number is not in the article.
Correct Answer: January 15
Passage Reference: collecting comments until January 15
Why this is correct: The department is collecting comments until January 15.
Tips: Find the deadline for public input.
Why the other options are wrong:
- January 8: This date is not in the article.
- January 22: This date is not in the article.
- January 31: This date is not in the article.
Correct Answer: a thousand kilometres
Passage Reference: the nearest spill response equipment is stored more than a thousand kilometres away
Why this is correct: Ballantyne notes that the nearest spill response equipment is more than a thousand kilometres away.
Tips: The commenter repeats the mayor’s point about cleanup gear. Find how far away she says it is.
Why the other options are wrong:
- twelve hundred kilometres: The mayor gives a shorter distance than this.
- fifteen hundred kilometres: Fifteen hundred kilometres is not the distance in the article.
- two thousand kilometres: The mayor gives a smaller figure than this.
Correct Answer: an international safety code
Passage Reference: Use an international safety code as the base, and most companies will follow it gladly
Why this is correct: Bruun says Canada should use an international safety code as the base.
Tips: Find what the shipping representative wants Canada to use as its starting point.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a European shipping standard: Bruun’s company is European, but she asks for an international code.
- an insurance industry rule: Bruun does not mention insurance.
- a coast guard manual: Bruun does not mention the coast guard.
Correct Answer: a generation
Passage Reference: One fuel spill could ruin our coastline for a generation.
Why this is correct: Ballantyne says one fuel spill could ruin the coastline for a generation.
Tips: The commenter repeats the mayor’s fear about a spill. Find her quote and note how long she says the harm would last.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a year: The mayor gives a longer time than a year.
- a decade: The mayor gives a longer time than a decade.
- a century: The mayor does not say a century.
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